Haute Savoie in Winter

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General | La Grande Terche | Morzine | Avoriaz | Les Gets | Chatel

Portes du Soleil logo

Chalet in WinterSki the Portes du Soleil

The Portes du Soleil region comprises 12 resorts with 400 miles of slopes in France and Switzerland and 225 mechanical ski lifts – all with just one ski pass. Whatever the snow conditions and your skiing ability there is a resort to suit you and your family. Stay at Chalet Papillon and you will have a wide selection of resorts to choose from. We can’t emphasise how much choice and variation you can get in your skiing in this area- there are literally 4 or 5 world class resorts easily within your grasp. Select your ski equipment at Sport 2000 in Le Biot, a village in the opposite valley, and you will receive 10% discount on all ski hire.

Portes du Soleil Ski Map
Portes du Soleil Piste Map (1.4mb)

Col de Corbier/Drouzin le Mont: This forested resort is ideal for young learners and people experiencing the slopes for the first time. The quieter slopes and villages allow you to find your ski legs. Just a short drive across the valley from Chalet Papillon it provides a good half day skiing for the more experienced.

Portes du Soleil:

La Grande Terche: Reached from our nearest main village St Jean d’Aulps, this resort has a variety of slopes and a good ski school. The 21 miles range from 900m to 1800m in altitude. The resort perhaps offers the more experienced skier less scope but certainly has potential for a few days. An excellent bowl area allows children to try the smaller drag lifts on their own.

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Morzine: A very French resort, Morzine boasts an excellent selection of wide, long slopes with extensive snow canons on difficult areas. Individual areas such as Pleney and Nyon link into Les Gets and make excellent long ski runs. For the recreational skier there is a hotel with a cafe terrace at the bottom of the main slope, where you can sit and take in the atmosphere.

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Montriond / Les Lindarets / Avoriaz: From Lindarets, a charming mountain village near Montriond, a cable car or ski lifts take you up into the wide open spaces of the Portes du Soleil region. A large car park provides an easy route to the slopes and the final ski down the road, stopping for vin chaud in the village on the way, provides a perfect finish to an excellent day´s skiing. Just pack a rucksack, map, and head off to navigate your way through the Alpine peaks into Chatel and Switzerland and you can really cover some ground. Or ski up into Avoriaz and meet the snowboarders and the high open slopes with always reliable ski conditions, and a snow park to rival the best in France. In the village of Montriond there is a 5km cross-country circuit around the Haute Savoie´s third largest lake.

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Chatel: A little further away, but easily accessed from Les Lindarets in just a couple of runs and chairlifts, or a 30-40 minute drive from the Chalet. Chatel is a resort which in our opinion is very versatile, with a snowpark for snowboarders/freeskiiers, and many smaller, less crowded runs hidden away, as well as the usual family orientated slopes lower down.

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Les Gets: A popular resort with tourists, Les Gets still retains its French charm. An excellent ski school has English speaking instructors, and the group classes for children are excellent. Lovely gentle wide slopes offer the younger members and not so experienced the chance to test their skills, while the more experienced can head for the heights of Ranfolly and the views of Mont Blanc. Drive up to Les Chavannes (a half way point above Les Gets – the turning is near the mini ice rink in the centre of the village.) and park for a day´s skiing. Here passes are sold at reduced prices as the day goes on, or buy points, which if you are a beginner and making limited use of the lifts, is ideal for the first few days. Also do not forget to ski the other side of Les Gets at Mont Chery – hop on the mini train and spend a trying time on the reds and blacks here. Les Gets and Morzine are also an ideal place to browse around the shops if the weather is bad, Alternatively, try some ice skating at the olympic sized rink in Morzine, or go down to Evian and Geneva for some sightseeing.

Some more photos are available on our photo gallery page